MRT Insights

Today, we are seeing “hiring now” signs on almost every door, post and sign. It’s no secret that businesses are struggling to find employees, and the demand can easily lead someone to take on a position without really thinking it over. Still, your position, and career path, make up a large portion of your life and future. It shouldn’t be a “take the first thing that sticks” situation or mentality. It matters!

Many people simply don’t know what matters to them, what lane they want to serve in, what principles they want to stand on and what compensation they will need to do it. That’s ok! We are here to help. With 35+ Years of experience, we have some simple solutions to get any candidate in the right direction.

The first thing we suggest is to outline your career goals.

It may take some time, and self-reflection, but having clear, concise thoughts is really important. Ask yourself:

• What do I want from my career choice?
• What CORE values do I have to support it?
• What area my strengths? (Soft skill areas and hard skill areas)
• Do I have any certifications or skills that set me apart from others?

Once you outline the above, you can begin a goal-setting process to align with your ideals and desires in a career path. There are many places to find additional goal setting support such as a helpful article here: Setting Goals to Improve Your Career.

Another helpful step is to dive deep into discovering your personality type.

Of course, your skills and experience are huge factors in finding the right job, but your inherent personality type is equally important. Discovering your personality type is usually carried out by grouping a set of traits specific to you. The most common way to do this is by engaging in a series of questions that look at your response to specific situations. Usually, the test will take the results and suggest common career choices for personality types at the end.

Two highly effective testing methods are The Keirsey Temperament Sorter and the Jungian Type Index. The Keirsey Method is a self-assessment questionnaire that closely identifies roles that match temperament types and behaviors rather than the preferences of a person. The Jungian Method is another self-assessment that can provide you with a personality overview and recommends careers based on the explanations behind a candidate’s psychological preferences. You can find out more about the 16 personality types by clicking the following: Guide: 16 Personality Types

Another really important area to look at while seeking the right job for you is by doing a quick, but thorough, review of your previous job experience and the education you have obtained.

The satisfaction level that you had in prior jobs is a HUGE indicator as to where your next position should be or be like. Trying to identify with any commonalities or trends in your past experience, you can get helpful insight to the pros and cons of each. After that, looking at the education requirements of any aspiring position is crucial, as it is one area where companies tend to do the least amount of compromising in.

Happy is as happy does!

By understanding your personality, you can easily note your interests that seem to have staying power. Take a look at hobbies, volunteer experiences, and activities where you didn’t mind the “work” in them. Many people make the mistake of undermining the connection between interests and successful careers. The perfect example lies in a candidate who loves logic puzzles and riddles may really excel in a career in cyber security. If you have yet to have short-term positions or volunteer experiences, use some of the above insight to get in there now!

The area most obvious to candidates is the assessment of compensation needs.

The scale of income potential across career paths is wide and long. That’s why looking at a few financial factors is so imperative from the start. A good way to start is to conclude what your NEEDS are and further decide where a growth goal would be for you. Comparing those numbers with the offers on the table is the easiest way to do a preliminary “cut” of potential positions to pursue.

It is certainly not a one-size-fits-all approach that will land you in your most fulfilling job. It may even require you to weigh the pros and cons of each and make concessions that are most worthwhile to you. In any case, understanding oneself is a sure-fire way to identify with complimentary jobs and career paths.